A Kuwaiti court has sentenced three people to death and eight others to five years in prison in a case involving an alleged plot to assassinate the country’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister, according to AFP, Middle East Monitor and other reporting on October 26–27, 2026. The verdict was issued by Kuwait’s State Security and Terrorism Crimes Court, presided over by Judge Nasser Al-Bader, alongside judges Omar Al-Mulaifi, Abdullah Al-Faleh and Salem Al-Zayed. The three sentenced to death were identified as Hussein Abdullah Matooq (also rendered Al-Matouq), a religious figure and secretary-general of Kuwait’s National Islamic Alliance, Hassan Abdulhadi Hajieh and Abdulreza Haidar Dehqani, according to WANA and AFP reporting.
Charges and alleged foreign links
Prosecutors alleged the defendants collaborated with foreign entities, including Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, joined a banned organisation, planned hostile acts against Kuwait, targeted senior officials and sought explosives for the alleged assassination attempt, according to the reports. The target named in the case was Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef. According to Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai, cited in reporting, the defendants included nine Kuwaiti nationals, one Iranian national and one individual identified as non-Kuwaiti. Three defendants were reportedly outside the country. Prosecutors also stated some of those involved had previously received final convictions in state security cases in 2015 and 2017.
Sentences not yet final
The death sentences are not yet final and remain subject to appeal, according to WANA. That distinction matters: Kuwaiti death sentences typically require appellate and higher review before they can be carried out, and the defendants’ appeals — if filed — will test the prosecution’s evidence in open proceedings. The case comes against a history of Kuwaiti security cases involving alleged espionage for Iran and links to Hezbollah, including the ‘Abdali cell’ case announced in 2015. Each case must be considered on its own evidence, and the allegations in the current case remain court findings subject to appeal, not final convictions.
What happens next
Watch for appeal filings, any diplomatic response from Tehran, and whether Kuwait’s courts publish fuller reasoning. The verdict will also be read regionally as a signal of Kuwait’s tolerance for alleged foreign-linked plots against its leadership.
